


The Cat King

by pwoutagonist



Series: Grimm's Fairy Tales Inspired [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Grimm's Fairy Tales - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 23:50:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3359897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pwoutagonist/pseuds/pwoutagonist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was inspired by the Grimm's fairy tale, "The Frog King." Tsukki is around 15 or so while Kuroo is 18.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cat King

In olden times when wishes still graced the lips of young children before bed, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, even his son. Despite being the youngest and being a boy, he was the most beautiful of them all that the sun itself was astonished whenever it shone on his face. Nearby the king’s castle was a dark forest, and in that forest was an old lime tree, and beneath that tree was a long, old, mossy well.

When the day was very warm, the child had gone out to the forest and sat next to the well. He liked to escape the palace, his father, his sisters, the people pestering him about his beautiful. His golden hair had gotten a little long, the ends curling, especially at the nape of his neck. The child wished to cut it, but his father had denied him the small wish. So, he took out a golden marble, the color of the sun and his eyes. It’s brilliant color kept him from darkness.

The boy began to toss it up into the air, delighting at how the sun’s rays, which poked through the forest foliage, shined upon it, giving it an ethereal glow. But he threw it too high, squinting at the brightness and he did not see where it had landed. The boy stood up, searching frantically for it until he heard a small plop behind him. He peeked into the well, watching his golden treasure sink until its brilliance disappeared. His heart sank.

Crushed by the loss, he began to weep. Uncontrollable, sloppy tears fell from his eyes, dripping into his cheeks and his hands. And as he cried, someone said to him, “Please don’t cry, King’s son. Your crying would even bring a stone to show pity.” The boy flinched. “What ails you?”

The boy turned around and looked upon the other side of the well and found that the voice belonged to a small black cat. It’s fur looked dirty, sticking up in weird places and matted in others, and his yellow eyes could only mean mischief. The boy held an indifferent attitude, but he was still saddened by the loss of his only solace. “I lost my most precious stone in that well.” The blonde pointed inside where no light could shined anymore. The cat peered into the vast darkness, and a thought occurred to him.

“Dear prince, if I may, shall I return your golden prize to you?” The boy stared, bewildered by the cat’s words. But he could not swim, how would he try and return it? It was far too deep for any fish to venture...he sounded crazy. It didn’t matter to him; his toy would never be returned. The boy nodded, sitting back down. If the cat wanted to end it’s life for something that held no importance to him, it was not the boy’s fault.

And so then the cat jumped, a loud splash startling the boy so much that some of the murky water splashed onto him. He turned around, staring into the well. The cat really had gone into the well to retrieve his golden stone. Worried that the cat may die, he began to cry lightly, his tears dripping one by one into the water. Barely a minute had passed and he worried for the cat’s life, but soon a yellowish glow cleared away the water and the stone popped out.

The prince held the stone, shone it up to the sun and cheered with glee. His precious toy was back! It felt warm in his hands and he held it to his chest. Then a thought occurred to him; where was the cat? The boy turned around and peered into the well; he could see little ears poking out through the surface. Had it died? The boy put his precious stone back in his pocket and picked the soggy cat from the water and set it on a dry patch of grass.

Its black fur was covered in green slime, and some pieces of hair still poked up despite being soaked. He could not tell if it had died or not. The boy frowned; he didn’t really care for the cat, but it had saved his most prized possession. It would only be rude to leave it alone and ignore it; his father, the king, had raised him up to be a good boy.

So he gingerly picked up the creature in his arms, not really minding that it got his white shirt dirty in the process; he could always get a new one. As he raced through town, squeezing between people in the town, people stared. Their looks of usual adoration were gone at his disheveled state, whispering to themselves. Black cats were bad luck and a sign of witchcraft, but the boy pressed on. They did not know the deeds of the courageous cat.

The boy did not like the townspeople. They gawked over his beauty, begging to marry their daughters off to him or to kiss his cheek as they believed it would bring them good luck. The prince scoffed; they were delirious. Pathetic. His feet carried him inside the castle doors, ignoring the guards’ looks of shock. He hurried to his father, finding him in his throne room. In his dirty clothes, Tsukishima approached him, holding the little black cat up to him, frowning, almost on the verge of tears. “Father, can you save him?”

His mother cringed and started to yell at him for bringing in such a filthy animal. He drowned out her voice and stared intently at his father. The elderly man rubbed his chin, watching his son’s face of fear and determination. “Why?” The boy frowned.

“My golden stone fell into the deep well in the forest.” He looked at the lump in his arms. “This cat came to my aid and dove into the deep well to retrieve my toy. This cat doesn’t know me; this cat risked its life for me. I don’t want it to die.” The boy sniffed, running his fingers on the wet fur, amazed at how soft and fluffy it was despite its appearance.

The king did not have to think much further. He immediately brought the castle doctor to them to heal the dying animal. His mother screamed and his sisters scoffed in disgust. They were ashamed that the kingdom’s most beautiful person had became a victim of witchcraft. Surely, they believed he would taint the kingdom’s name. But the king would thank any soul who would help his most beloved child.

Sitting atop his bed, adorned with pale pink silk sheets and a heavy quilt, the boy waited patiently. He was mad and sad at the same time. Why had a cat almost killed itself for a silly marble? It meant a lot to him, but the cat didn’t know him. The cat was just an animal; nothing more. But his heart ached at the thought that the cat would die. He did not want that. Falling onto his stomach, he wept into the silk sheets, staining them with tears.

The door to his room creaked open slowly, the light from the hall coming into the dark room. At first he had thought no one was there but then he noticed a small silhouette on the floor; it was the black cat. New tears had poured from his eyes in joy; the cat was safe. He sat up and the cat jumped into his lap. The prince picked the ball of fur up and held it to his chest; he had never felt so happy before. “Oh, sweet cat, I had hoped for your return.”

The boy laid upon his back, holding the cat to his chest. His eyes were closed, praying that when he opened his eyes, the cat would still be there. But when he did open them again, the cat was gone. Instead, laying upon his side, was a young man. He looked tall, his leather boots peeking over the edge. The man was in regal dress and looked to be a young king. A golden, shiny crown sat atop his head. It wasn’t until he saw the messy hair that suck up in funny places despite making him look all the more attractive to the eye.

In awe, the prince reached up to touch the fluffy hair, breaking into tears again. “You’re the cat!” He exclaimed, his heart filled with many emotions.  
“Yes, my dear prince.” The young king took the blonde’s hand into his own, kissing the back of it. His smile was sweet. “I was cursed by an old witch in the forest. I refused to marry her daughter and she turned me into a black cat.” The king sat up and the young prince followed suit. “My curse could only be broken by you; your love has set me free.” The moonlight shined into the great window in the prince’s room, illuminating the pair as they sat upon his bed. They smiled at each other, cheeks red as the young king kissed both of his hands, slowly and gently before placing one on the other’s lips.

When they parted, lips red and wet, the king took the prince’s hand again. “I have been on a journey to seek the love of my life. My kingdom is quite far away, but the people there are kind and will rejoice if I bring you home.” The young boy found his heart beating quickly and loudly. “With your father’s, this kingdom’s gentle king, permission, I’d like to bring you back and marry you.” His lips found its way to his cheek.

Many times before had the beauty had many come to him for a hand in marriage, but this time was different. He had never been asked to marry another man before, nor had he actually felt any interest in marriage before this moment. This man, this king, the glorious man that he be, had almost died for him. The king with the messy hair deserved more than marriage. He deserved so much more.

So the prince brought his love to his father. The young king had been formal and presented himself like any fine member of a royal court. The young boy’s mother and sisters were disapproving that such a fine man take him away. They were jealous, and they had only been ridiculing him moments before. The boy’s father gave him permission and prepared a carriage for the day after.

With so much joy in their hearts, the pair had whisked away into the prince’s chambers, telling stories about the past and holding hands. They did not sleep that night as they were both too excited to return to the prince’s kingdom far, far away. And as soon as the sun rose over the horizon, they sprung out of bed and into the carriage waiting for them.

The prince lay his head in the young king’s lap the entire journey as he told stories about a magical kingdom that was soon to be all theirs.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you think!


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